Charles Bronson

An iconic star in international films for over four decades, Charles Bronson's granite features and brawny physique provided believable intensity in such blockbuster films as "The Magnificent Seven,"...
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Actor Chris Pratt is in talks to join Denzel Washington in the long-awaited remake of The Magnificent Seven. The Guardians of the Galaxy star is in the early stages of negotiations with studio executives at MGM to appear in the Antoine Fuqua action film, a revamped version of John Sturges' 1960 original, which featured Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Yul Brynner among a group of elite gunmen tasked with protecting a small Mexican village from an invasion of bandits, according to Deadline.com.
Washington was tapped to re-team with his Training Day director Fuqua over the summer (14).
The Magnificent Seven film has been on MGM's slate for some time, with Tom Cruise previously set to appear alongside Matt Damon in 2012.
An early draft for the reboot was penned by True Detective writer Nic Pizzolatto and has since been reworked by The Blind Side screenwriter John Lee Hancock.

Actor Denzel Washington is reportedly in talks to re-team with his Training Day director Antoine Fuqua on The Magnificent Seven remake. Tom Cruise originally signed on to appear alongside Matt Damon as one of the gang of gunslingers in MGM's version of John Sturges' 1960 film, but dropped out of the project last year (13).
Now movie executives are hoping to reunite Washington and Fuqua for a script rewritten by The Blind Side director John Lee Hancock.
The original movie, penned by True Detective writer Nic Pizzolatto, starred Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz as seven renegades who are recruited to protect a Mexican village from an invasion of bandits.
The Magnificent Seven was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa film Seven Samurai and was followed by three sequels - Return of the Magnificent Seven, Guns of the Magnificent Seven and The Magnificent Seven Ride Again.

TriStar Pictures via Everett Collection
Part of what makes action movies universally appealing is if they have that little something extra. Superhero movies can blends mythical worlds and science fiction with collateral damage. Some bring in the visceral thrill of revenge. Some lighten the mood with a healthy dose of comedy. Some just have a lot of really impressive visuals. Although plenty of action movies are brain dead duds, there are plenty that have enough humanity, charm, and intelligence to enjoy with your action-hesitant significant other.
Here are some of the best action movies that have a little bit more than just shoot-'em-ups and car explosions. They add a little something extra to the genre that allows for date friendly entertainment.
GALLERY: Action Movies for Date Night
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Celebrity publicist Max Clifford has admitted cheating on his wife and attending sex parties thrown by screen siren Diana Dors in sensational courtroom testimony. The 70 year old, from Surrey, England, is on trial accused of 11 charges of indecent assault relating to seven females aged 14 to 20 between 1966 and 1984.
Clifford took the stand at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday (26Mar14) and vehemently denied the charges, dismissing allegations he had a sexual interest in children as "utterly revolting, utterly untrue, disgusting lies" and when asked whether he had ever had sexual contact with a woman without her consent, he replied, "No."
He was also asked about his sex life, and Clifford admitted cheating on his first wife, Liz, with four different women, while he also confirmed he had attended saucy parties thrown by actress Dors in the 1960s.
Clifford told the court, "There would have been parties from my younger days when I was friends with Diana Dors because Diana had parties... sometimes there was sex... but they weren't orgies. Not everyone went there and took their clothes off. In most of these situations they were one-bedroom premises, there was kissing, caressing and flirtation."
The publicist also denied allegations he had impersonated Hollywood heavyweights including director Michael Winner and actor Charles Bronson on the phone as part of a scheme to lure girls into performing sex acts on him, although he admitted he sometimes used fake identities as a way of "checking people out and getting to the truth" when dealing with potential clients.
Clifford denies 11 charges of indecent assault. The trial continues.

Actor Tom Cruise has dropped out of a planned remake of The Magnificent Seven due to scheduling conflicts, according to a report. The Mission: Impossible star signed on in 2012 to appear alongside Matt Damon as one of the gang of gunslingers in MGM's version of John Sturges' 1960 film, but he has since withdrawn from the project.
Cruise's exit isn't the only change in the film's development - The Blind Side director John Lee Hancock has been recruited to rewrite the script for the film, according to TheWrap.com.
The original movie, penned by True Detective writer Nic Pizzolatto, starred Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz as seven renegades who are recruited to protect a Mexican village from an invasion of bandits.
The Magnificent Seven was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa film Seven Samurai and was followed by three sequels - Return of the Magnificent Seven, Guns of the Magnificent Seven and The Magnificent Seven Ride Again.

Lions Gate via Everett Collection
When we last left our heroes, they had conquered all opponents in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, returned home to their newly refurbished living quarters in District 12, and fallen haplessly to the cannibalism of PTSD. And now we're back! Hitching our wagons once again to laconic Katniss Everdeen and her sweet-natured, just-for-the-camera boyfriend Peeta Mellark as they gear up for a second go at the Capitol's killing fields.
But hold your horses — there's a good hour and a half before we step back into the arena. However, the time spent with Katniss and Peeta before the announcement that they'll be competing again for the ceremonial Quarter Quell does not drag. In fact, it's got some of the film franchise's most interesting commentary about celebrity, reality television, and the media so far, well outweighing the merit of The Hunger Games' satire on the subject matter by having Katniss struggle with her responsibilities as Panem's idol. Does she abide by the command of status quo, delighting in the public's applause for her and keeping them complacently saturated with her smiles and curtsies? Or does Katniss hold three fingers high in opposition to the machine into which she has been thrown? It's a quarrel that the real Jennifer Lawrence would handle with a castigation of the media and a joke about sandwiches, or something... but her stakes are, admittedly, much lower. Harvey Weinstein isn't threatening to kill her secret boyfriend.
Through this chapter, Katniss also grapples with a more personal warfare: her devotion to Gale (despite her inability to commit to the idea of love) and her family, her complicated, moralistic affection for Peeta, her remorse over losing Rue, and her agonizing desire to flee the eye of the public and the Capitol. Oftentimes, Katniss' depression and guilty conscience transcends the bounds of sappy. Her soap opera scenes with a soot-covered Gale really push the limits, saved if only by the undeniable grace and charisma of star Lawrence at every step along the way of this film. So it's sappy, but never too sappy.
In fact, Catching Fire is a masterpiece of pushing limits as far as they'll extend before the point of diminishing returns. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an ambiance that lends to emotional investment but never imposes too much realism as to drip into territories of grit. All of Catching Fire lives in a dreamlike state, a stark contrast to Hunger Games' guttural, grimacing quality that robbed it of the life force Suzanne Collins pumped into her first novel.
Once we get to the thunderdome, our engines are effectively revved for the "fun part." Katniss, Peeta, and their array of allies and enemies traverse a nightmare course that seems perfectly suited for a videogame spin-off. At this point, we've spent just enough time with the secondary characters to grow a bit fond of them — deliberately obnoxious Finnick, jarringly provocative Johanna, offbeat geeks Beedee and Wiress — but not quite enough to dissolve the mystery surrounding any of them or their true intentions (which become more and more enigmatic as the film progresses). We only need adhere to Katniss and Peeta once tossed in the pit of doom that is the 75th Hunger Games arena, but finding real characters in the other tributes makes for a far more fun round of extreme manhunt.
But Catching Fire doesn't vie for anything particularly grand. It entertains and engages, having fun with and anchoring weight to its characters and circumstances, but stays within the expected confines of what a Hunger Games movie can be. It's a good one, but without shooting for succinctly interesting or surprising work with Katniss and her relationships or taking a stab at anything but the obvious in terms of sending up the militant tyrannical autocracy, it never even closes in on the possibility of being a great one.
3.5/5
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Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is less than a month away, meaning you have three solid weeks to catch up on TV before the holiday madness officially sets in. In the meantime, here are five insanely watchable shows you need to be DVRing.
2013 Bravo Media, LLC
Styled to RockI know what you're thinking: she's a multi-platinum selling pop star, so why on Earth does Rihanna need a fashion show on Bravo? Well, it turns RiRi is just as comfortable in front of the camera – judging the hottest outfits from up-and-coming designers a la Project Runway – as she is singing before a crowd of 30,000. Of course it always helps when you have hip-hop super-producer Pharell Williams filling in as a fashion mentor. Maybe just a little. A new episode of Styled to Rock airs Wednesday, November 6 at 1PM ET on Bravo.
Baggage BattlesIf you're a frequent traveler, odds are you've had some kind of issue with baggage claim, only to leave the airport like a slightly less manic version of Charles Bronson in Death Wish. But did you know that there are actual people in the world that bid on your lost items at auction? Apparently the good folks over at Travel Channel did, which is why they've based a new reality show on them called Baggage Battles. People fighting over the lost goods of others – it doesn't get more American than that! Baggage Battles airs Tuesdays at 6PM ET on the Travel Channel.
Real Husbands of HollywoodChris Rock guest stars on Kevin Hart's hilarious faux reality show, which follows several real-life Hollywood househusbands – Nick Cannon among them, although first season co-star Robin Thicke has bailed on the show – on their desperate attempts to climb Hollywood's social ladder. Hey, if the ladies of New Beverly County can show what human beings look like at their lowest, most despicable form – and be successful at it – why can't a few funny dudes poke fun at them? Real Husbands of Hollywood airs Tuesday at 7PM ET on BET.
Guy's Big BiteGuy Fieri may be the most annoying TV chef on the planet, but man, that dude sure knows how to whip up some of the most visually appealing meals on the tube. This week the platinum-haired cook makes grilled skirt steak with peri-peri sauce topped with champagne vinaigrette. Sound delicious? Guy's Big Bite airs Sunday at 10:30 AM ET on the Food Network.
Mike &amp; MollyA show about two overweight people living in one of the thickest parts of the country: Chicago. Now why didn't I think of that? Of course, before Melissa McCarthy catapulted to superstardom with her turn as a shoot-from-the-hip sister-in-law in Bridesmaids, she was a loveable teacher struggling with her weight on CBS's Mike &amp; Molly. The show kicks off its fourth season tonight at 9 PM ET on CBS, and the promos are making a point of calling it "The New Mike &amp; Molly," so expect some changes.
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As the end of January approaches, that New Year’s resolution you were so adamant about just a few weeks earlier is already starting to fall by the wayside. Suddenly, the gym seems farther away, cigarettes call your name, and you haven’t even taken the cellophane off that scrapbook you bought. While we can’t do much to help you with those fading pledges, there is one resolution to which we can assist you in remaining faithful.
If you made it your charge to watch a more diverse assortment of films in 2013, in essence to become a more well-rounded cinephile, we're here to keep you on track. Here is our comprehensive guide to help you begin to branch out:
Action
Bronson vs. Marvin
The '70s were a great time for action films, and the two biggest names of the era were Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson. Here’s a sampling of their best.
The Mechanic: Bronson takes a young Jan-Michael Vincent under his wing; showing him the ropes of contract killing. The complex relationship between the two characters, the slow, methodic storytelling, and the dramatic ending make this one of ol’ Charlie’s finest.
Point Blank:Lee Marvin inhabits Donald E. Westlake’s Parker in this gripping, deliberate crime thriller from John Boorman. Why anyone would want to mess with a guy like Lee Marvin is beyond the limits of reason.
Death Hunt: Can’t decide which actor to watch first? Why not watch them both in this early '80s wilderness actioner. Violent, well-constructed, and featuring one of the decade’s most interesting games of cat-and-mouse.
Asian Fists and Firearms
Whether it’s martial arts or automatic weapons, the action cinema of the East tends to be more brutal and bombastic than Hollywood fare. If you liked The Raid: Redemption, do yourself a favor and track down…
Tiger Cage: Legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping expertly directs this unsung cops vs. criminals actioner. The opening sequence, an unfettered gauntlet of carnage, alone is well worth the price of admission; an unfettered gauntlet of carnage.
Ip Man: Donnie Yen brings to life one of China’s most beloved historical figures, and does so with some of the fastest and most impressive kung fu in recent memory.
Hard Boiled: John Woo earned his reputation working in Hong Kong, and Hard Boiled may be his masterpiece. Chow Yun-fat eloquently dances through Woo’s gorgeous bullet ballet.
Contemporary Foreign Action
Sleepless Night: France may not be the first country one associates with action cinema, but they’ve made huge strides in recent years. Sleepless Night is a single-night nonstop crime story that rages through a nightclub like a force of nature. The cinematography, pacing, and exceptional performances create an organic sense of tension.
Man From Nowhere: Nobody, but nobody, does revenge movies like Korea. The Man from Nowehere is a savage, uncompromising descent into the darkest recesses of the soul of someone we still, despite everything, herald as a hero.
Solomon Kane: It took a French/British/Czech co-production to finally bring Robert E. Howard’s puritanical superhero to the big screen, but it was worth the wait. Solomon Kane combines horror, fantasy, and superhero conventions to create a truly unique filmic experience. James Purefory broodingly and perfectly inhabits the titular antihero.
Offbeat Westerns
These aren’t your granddad’s horse operas.
Dudes: A cross-country road trip turns tragic for a trio of rockers in this outstanding '80s gem from Penelope Spheeris. She uses punk rock to breathe new life into an age-old genre. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea has a prominent role in the film.
Sukiyaki Western Django: A wild mashup of Yojimbo and Sergio Corbucci’s Django, Sukiyaki Western Django is somehow still unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Comin’ At Ya!: Of this group, Comin’ At Ya! most closely resembles a traditional spaghetti western, but the filmmakers behind it were keen to bring back the then-languishing 3D technology. If you thought the recent spate of 3D films in theaters were gimmicky, just wait until you see the prolific and hilarious instances in which Comin’ At Ya! finds ways to, well, make things come at ya.
Film Noir
The Long Goodbye: Possibly the best film on this entire list. Elliot Gould, as Philip Marlowe, wafts through a seedy, almost dream-like Los Angeles. Gould’s effortlessly charming performance is enhanced by Robert Altman’s superb direction and a marvelous, if slightly unusual John Williams score. An absolutely masterful film that, incidentally, makes a great double feature with The Big Lebowski.
Elevator to the Gallows: Film noir is sprinkled with traces of Hitchcock in Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows. A fledgling criminal murders his boss while their office building is empty, but his escape is hindered by a busted elevator. Tense, engaging, and given a pulse by a smoky cool Miles Davis score.
The Killing: An early Stanley Kubrick film hits upon the director’s substantial talent for storytelling. A flawless racetrack heist gives way to squabbling and conniving between a team of crooks. Its great cast anchored by Sterling Hayden, The Killing is gorgeously shot and harrowing to the last frame.
Buddy Cop Movies
Freebie and the Bean: It’s hard to do buddy cop films better than Freebie and the Bean. James Caan and Alan Arkin set the standard for unlikely law enforcement duos, constantly at each other’s throats as they do all in their power to get the better of crooks and thugs. Their banter is among the film’s greatest strengths.
Nighthawks: Sylvester Stallone doesn’t get a lot of credit as an actor, and maybe rightfully so, but in 1981’s Nighthawks, he and Billy Dee Williams are a formidable team. The perpetually fuming pair take on an international terrorist played to icy perfection by Rutger Hauer.
Busting: Elliot Gould returns to the list, this time working alongside Robert Blake to bring down a crime boss in Peter Hyams’ Busting. These two are laughably bad at their jobs at the onset, and that is meant as a compliment, but their ability to get serious when it really counts gives the movie a great deal of charm.
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The Death Wish director passed away at his home in London on Monday (21Jan13) with his wife Geraldine at his bedside.
Winner revealed last year (12) that liver specialists had given him just 18 months to live and he had considered ending his life at a euthanasia clinic.
In a statement on Monday, Geraldine Winner said, "Michael was a wonderful man - brilliant, funny and generous. A light has gone out in my life."
Born in London in 1935, Winner began his career as a showbiz journalist before moving to the BBC as a screenwriter and assistant director in the late 1950s. He directed several low-budget British movies in the 1960s, and his work with Oliver Reed drew the attention of Hollywood producers.
Winner's breakthrough came directing Marlon Brando in 1972 movie The Nightcomers, and in 1974 he shot his most famous film, controversial vigilante classic Death Wish, starring Charles Bronson.
His movie work thinned out in the 1980s and '90s but he continued to shoot the occasional film, with his last work behind the camera being 1998 comedy Parting Shots.
In recent years, Winner became a famed and feared restaurant critic in the U.K., known for his blunt and often scathing reviews.
Following news of his death, several fellow British stars took to Twitter.com to pay tribute to Winner. Theatre impresario Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber writes, "Dearest Mr Michael Winner. True originals come rarely in a lifetime. Madeleine and I will deeply miss you," and Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp tweets, "RIP Michael Winner... I will never forget our meetings... Loss of a great character!".
Journalist Piers Morgan adds, "Very sad to hear Michael Winner has died. Hilarious, often preposterous, always generous, highly intelligent man. And terrific writer. RIP... Favourite Winner anecdote was when he bought me a bottle of '61 Latour for dinner, and I told him it was corked. He nearly self-combusted."

The two-time Oscar nominee passed away in his native New York on Christmas Eve (24Dec12) - the same day as another beloved TV and film star, Jack Klugman, who was 90.
He died of natural causes at his home in Manhattan.
Durning, a former professional boxer, martial arts expert and dance instructor, was a World War Two hero who survived the infamous massacre of American Prisoners of War by German troops at Malmedy, Belgium. He served with the 1st Infantry Division and was also involved in the Normandy Invasion on Omaha Beach in June, 1944. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Silver Star Medal and three Purple Hearts among his many accolades for services to his country.
He picked up his fledgling acting career after the war with a series of stage roles but didn't land his big movie break until the early 1970s, following a series of acclaimed plays and appearances on 1960's shows. His first major film role came opposite Robert Redford in The Sting in 1973. He followed that big screen success with a role in Charles Bronson's western Breakheart Pass two years later.
Durning's eclectic and varied film career also included credits in Tootsie, The Muppet Movie, North Dallas Forty, Sharky's Machine, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Dog Day Afternoon, and he earned Oscar nods for his roles in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Mel Brooks' comedy To Be Or Not To Be, in which he played a Nazi officer.
Despite his gruff persona and his penchant for playing severe, stern roles, Durning portrayed Santa Claus in five TV movies, including It Nearly Wasn't Christmas, Mrs. Santa Claus and A Boyfriend for Christmas.
Durning also scooped a Tony Award in 1990 for his portrayal of Big Daddy in a revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - not bad for someone who was allegedly kicked out of the American Academy of Dramatic Art drama school for lacking talent!
Paying tribute to his pal on Twitter.com on Christmas Day (25Dec12), Happy Days star Henry Winkler called Durning "the actor's actor".
Durning was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. According to IMDB.com, he was still making what was his final film, Scavenger Killers, when he passed away.

Title

Last film in which he acted with wife Jill Ireland, "The Assassination"

Last of four consecutive appearance on annual top ten box office poll; placed 10th

First film in which he acted with Jill Ireland, "Villa Rides"; couple were married that same year

Made first in "Family of Cops" series of TV-movies for CBS playing police inspector Paul Fein

First credited as Charles Bronson on "Drum Beat"

Worked numerous odd jobs while studying acting

First made annual exhibitors poll of the top ten boxoffice stars; placed 8th

During WWII served as gunner in Pacific Chapter

Film acting debut (credited as Charles Buchinski) in "You're in the Navy Now"; film also the debut for Lee Marvin and Jack Warden

Summary

An iconic star in international films for over four decades, Charles Bronson's granite features and brawny physique provided believable intensity in such blockbuster films as "The Magnificent Seven," (1960) "The Great Escape" (1963), "The Dirty Dozen" (1967) and "Death Wish" (1974). A man of few words both on screen and off, Bronson needed no makeup or special effects to portray men who brought swift vengeance against those who disturbed their peaceful, solitary lives. In films like "The Mechanic" (1972) and "Chino" (1973), Bronson's characters toed the line between human and supernatural force with their seemingly impossible command of stealth and their own physicality. However, Bronson's best roles allowed a glimmer of humanity in the steely exterior of his heroes; his "Tunnel King" in "Great Escape" was claustrophobic, while the bare knuckles boxer in "Hard Times" (1973) wore desperation like the cheap duster that covered his broad shoulders. Having been brought up in poverty, he understood struggle, and his most memorable films allowed him to depict that raw need. In private, he chafed at being an action star, but would continue to mow down bad guys well into the early 1990s in low-budget thrillers that were far beneath his talents. Bronson's death in 2003 closed the book on one of Hollywood's longest-running and most reluctant tough guys.

Name

Role

Comments

Suzanne Bronson

Daughter

Zuleika Bronson

Daughter

Tony Bronson

Son

Jason Bronson

Step-Son

died of a heroin overdose in 1989 at age 27; adopted by Jill Ireland and David McCallum; later adopted by Bronson